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Decoding the letter C
The letter C''', lowercase '''c (pronounced /siː/) normally represents the sounds /k/ (call, come, cut, close, cry, music), except before "e", "i" or "y" where it represents /s/ (center, place, city, policy). Followed by two vowels it can represent /ʃ/ (ocean, commercial). See also: Decoding exercises: "ch". "Ca", "co", "cu", etc. "C" sounds /k/ everywhere except in "ce", ci", and "cy", i.e. followed by "a", "o", "u" or a consonant, or at the end of the word. *At the begininng of the word: :"ca", "co", "cu": call, can, car, case, come, company, cost, could, country, course, cup, cut :"cl", "cr": class, clean, clear, clearly, clock, close, clothes, club, create, credit, cross, cry *In the middle of the word: :accept, accord, account, actually, because, become, effect, expect, fact, include, increase, mathematics, occur, politics, product, public, second :Exceptions as /s/: Caesar, caesium (AmE is cesium), facade (French façade) *At the end of the word, all common words end in "ic": academic, basic, characteristic, classic, critic, domestic, economic, electronic, music, public, scientific, specific, topic, traffic :Other: maniac, mollusc (AmE is mollusk), havoc *With "ck": :At the end of the word: attack, back, black, check, clock, lack, pick, quick, stock, track :In the middle of the word: acknowledge, background, chicken, jacket, lucky, package, pocket, quickly, ticket "Ce", "ci" or "cy" Followed by one vowel Always as /s/. *At the beginning of the word: celebrate - cell - cent - center - central - century - certain - certainly - circle - circumstance - citizen - city - civil - cycle *In the middle of the word: accept - access - agency - decision - excellent - except - facility - frequency - necessary - officer - percent - policy - process - recent - specific - success :Exceptions as /k/: ASCII /ˈæskɪ/ - Macintosh - Quebecer /kwɪˈbekər/ - sceptic (AmE is skeptic) - soccer :Exceptions as /tʃ/: cappuccino, cello, concerto, sotto voce /ˌsɒtəʊ ˈvəʊtʃiː/, vermicelli, violoncello *Ending in "ce" (see also silent e): difference - experience - face - force - nice - office - once - place - price - produce - service - since Followed by two or more vowels ;As /s/ *At the beginning of the word: cease - cyanide *In the middle of the word: conceal - decease - society - sociology ;As /ʃ/ *with "ci": delicious - financial - official - precious - social - special *with "ce": crustacean - ocean - oceanic /əʊʃɪˈænɪk/ ;As /ʃ/ or /ʒ/ *coercion: /kəʊˈɜːrʃən/, /kəʊˈɜːrʒən/ Silent "c" *indictment /ɪnˈdaɪtmənt/ - muscle *Connecticut /kəˈnetɪkət/ - Tucson /ˈtuːsɒn/ *"ces" as /s/: Gloucester /ˈɡlɒstər/ - Leicester /ˈl stər/ - Worcester /ˈwʊstər/ Homophones *ceiling - sealing; cellar - seller; cent - sent; cereal - serial; cite - sight - site; colonel - kernel; scene - seen; C in combinations *"ch" normally sounds /tʃ/ and it can sound /k/ or /ʃ/. See Decoding exercises: "ch". *"cz" :*as /tʃ/: Czech :*eczema: /ˈeksɪmə/ , /ɪɡˈziːmə/ In the following cases, apply the rules for each individual letter, but if the result contains two sounds (/kk/ or /ss/) then leave only one (/k/ or /s/). *"cc" :*As /k/: acclaim - account - accurate - raccoon - tobacco :*As /ks/: accept - accident - occidental - success ::Exception as /k/: soccer *"ck" always as /k/. Examples in "Ca", "co", "cu", etc. *"cq" always as /k/: acquaintance - acquire *"cs" always as /ks/: ecstasy, facsimile (fax), mathematics, physics *"sc" :*/sk/: describe - discount - discover - discuss - escape - score - screen :*/s/: discipline - fascinate - scene - science ::Exception, "sce" as /ske/: sceptic (AmE is skeptic) :*/ʃ/: conscious *"xc" **/ksk/: exclude - excuse **/ks/: excellent - exceed - except - excess - excitement C C